“A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.” – Irish Proverb
Yesterday we got to add another country to ‘places visited’ list: Poland! I convinced Justin that, even though we have only been here for about a week and half, we needed to go on the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) Polish Pottery trip. I am not the type of person who even knew what Polish Pottery was before moving here. We usually do not go to touristy places and spend an entire day there either, but I wanted to see what the fuss was about and not have to drive all the way there. It seems if we go on a trip longer than an hour or two away, tensions get high in the Cosgrove vehicle and somebody ends up crabby (or crying because, well, we have two small children).
In preparation, I had to look up why the craze for Polish Pottery. What I found is that Polish Pottery is the beautifully painted ceramic bake ware and dishes seen in Pottery Barn type magazines and websites. It was no wonder I had never heard of this Polish Pottery. As much as I love the rooms and decorations these magazines and blogs display, I’m a realist and know a) I have children so white furniture with vibrant glass items will not stay white and will be broken and b) I have zero skills when it comes to interior design.
“But, what the heck, let’s go to Poland, buy a rolling pin or muffin pan, enjoy the pierogi (Polish dumplings), and see people go crazy over pottery,” I told Justin. Anyone who knows Justin knows this followed by an eye roll and “Sure Meghan.” So I pulled 140€ out at the ATM, packed some snacks and toys, and ventured onto the bus at midnight to head to Poland to buy some presents for family and myself a muffin pan.
Oh silly Meghan.
The first shop was small and owned by a Polish couple whom spoke no English or German. I found my muffin tin for 100 zolty (about 23€ or $27) and saw some cute things I wanted but didn’t want to buy everything at the first, rather small, place. It was fairly cheap compared to the things I had seen online and, from what I had heard and read, the quality was pretty darn good too.
The majority of the shops that followed were factory shops, meaning they had a couple rooms, usually a shelf or two with discounted things, and most of their items were painted in similar ways. Each place had one or two things that were a little different and they had their own unique stamp, but I should have bought everything I wanted at the first small shop! With that being said, after visiting ten plus shops I went over my 140€ budget. I can’t imagine how much money others spent considering they would come out of stores with boxes of things they bought. I averaged about 1 item per shop until we went to Henry’s. Henry’s was one of two shops I wanted to visit (the other being Andar, but we didn’t make it there). I’m glad we were able to stop there considering I found three gifts there and Justin and I found a couple things for our house too. The prices were more than the first little shop and comparable to the larger stores we had stopped at, but finding things other shops didn’t have was a nice change.
We ended our trip at the famous Andy’s. Although I didn’t buy anything there because the shop was so packed and they sell pottery at our PX, they were having a little festival, serving free food, beer, and delicious shots of vodka. Why this place was not packed is beyond me! It was a great way to end a fun, but exhausting, day.
With all of this being said, I want to go back. After seeing what shops had to offer I now know what I would like to buy and what to expect. I’d consider buying all new dishes because, in my mind, food and drinks look better on Polish Pottery, but we have Justin’s great grandma’s Corelle plates that are going strong. I can’t imagine replacing dishes that already to their job. If you’re on the fence about going to Poland for Polish Pottery, go! If I go again I’ll stick to smaller shops and avoid the crazy touristy, strip mall places. They are tricky and some shops seem like a small shop, but you will find the same shop in two or three spots in the city, thus, the same pottery.
We were exhausted and slept 10 hours last night, our pockets are a little lighter, and all for some pierogi and that damn muffin pan.
**When I get the chance I will add the shops and their links on this page**
Einen schön tag noch!
Shops we visited:
These look so beautiful! I’ll make sure to stop by when I get a chance. I’d only be afraid to spend all my savings whenever I step into one of those shops 🙂
It was fun! I know now things I want to get when I go back..all of us on the trip joked that with Polish Pottery trips you make a budget, then plan to bust that budget so you aren’t as disappointed on overspending! 😂
Beautiful pieces! Looks like you had a wonderful trip to the town of ceramics!
It was fun! I want to go back and look for different pieces and more gifts.